The way to Opt for Your Decking Materials

There are numerous decking materials on the market from wood, composite (wood-plastic blend) and vinyl/plastic. Wood will have lower initial cost but more maintenance effort and price, specifically desired color is not the natural weathered color. Wood seems like wood. Composites are generally in the center to high end in initial cost, lower on maintenance effort and value, and great for color retention. Composites usually do not look the same as wood. Vinyl/plastic is usually the very best in initial cost, longest in expected service life, lowest in maintenance cost and energy, and ideal for color retention. Vinyl/plastic also doesn't look much like wood.

WOOD. Most decking placed in the U.S. is wood and many wood decking is treated pine. Treated pine is treated to stop rot (CCA continues to be removed and it has been replaced using ACQ & other treatments). They're acronyms for your chemicals in the treatments. The wood most often treated is southern yellow pine. The type in the wood itself, not the therapy, causes it to be vulnerable to twisting, splitting, warping and splintering. Various other woods in use are cedar, redwood, IPE, Tigerwood, Massaranduba and Garapa.

COMPOSITE. Composite decking is really a distant second in popularity after wood but is accepted ever in new deck installations and re-decks (re-use old deck framing and replace old deck boards and railing with new composite materials). "Composite" signifies that the decking is molded or extruded coming from a secret formula that is the blend of wood and plastic or vinyl. The wood can be a wood flour of various grinds and species. The plastic is often times polyethylene or polypropylene. There are numerous ratios of wood to plastic as well as mixtures of recycled & virgin plastic. These things affect performance characteristics. Composite decking is available in regular plank, tongue & groove, grain finish, solids, and mixed colors.

VINYL/PLASTIC. Vinyl/plastic decking is now popular and it is primarily taking share of the market outside the composite deck segment. Decking profiles are generally plank though a couple of manufacturers offering a tongue & groove. Vinyl/plastic decking can be found in a grain or smooth finish, solids, and mixed colors.

Facts to consider

WOOD "Wood seems like wood and the initial expense is reduced with pine but not necessarily so by incorporating of the other woods "Wood weathers and changes color - requires periodic cleaning and staining to keep a shade besides the naturally weathered color "Southern yellow pine splits, cracks and splinters over time "Exotic woods like IPE, Tigerwood, Massaranduba and Garapa can be more expensive but do not split and crack like pine. "Wood have to be replaced (usually before many other materials) at some point which varies with exposure, maintenance and luck "Wood requires some maintenance for the most powerful performance and service life - usually pressure washed to have clean "Maintenance costs time and/or money and can offset any initial financial savings.

COMPOSITE "Initial cost is significantly above pine, but similar to the exotic woods "Longer service life "Lower maintenance cost and than wood - usually cleaned using a pressure washer or perhaps a chemical solution wash & flush "No painting, staining or sealing "No splinters "Variety of colours "Variety of textures - embossed wood, grain, grooved, smooth "Mixed colors and grains "Hidden fasteners "May grow mold and mildew in the wood component - can be difficult and troublesome to wash completely "May stain - cleaning methods vary with form of stain and wood component

VINYL/PLASTIC "Initial charges are normally the same or maybe more than composites "Longer service life "Least volume of maintenance and energy - usually cleaned with a water hose "No painting, staining or sealing "No splinters "Maintains original look and color long term "Variety of colours aside from dark colors like brown "Variety of textures - embossed wood, grain, grooved, smooth "Mixed colors and grains "Hidden fasteners "No mold or mildew "No stainsFor details about ipe deck w